RP: YSS Miharu Mission 1 "REAR GUARD", Day 5

Hinoto moved from in front of Yukari so the latter could work, though she remained perched with her hands on the armrest. "That you are clumsier when emotional, that you enjoy having the feeling of someone larger protecting you, that you prefer carrying many weapons on you to fill that need when you have no one to care for you and that you like to have your breasts massaged."

Nyton looked over the Nozomi and brought up an image of the Miharu next to it. "Perhaps we can take this asteroid concept another step further. The Mindy units can still teleport even if we barricade the other bay with one asteroid but they would be less capable if we could amass a cluster of smaller asteroids all around the space between the Miharu and our target. If we could fill the empty space with more mass then the Mindy units teleportation would be neutralized. If they teleport blind they would be seriously hurt should they end up inside a cluster of rocks. Otherwise they would be forced to remain either inside the ship or teleport further away where they would not be able to assist without having to travel the longer route. Our weapon pods could even use the rocks for cover and to establish ambushes." he said. Nyton thought over the actual application of the plan and wondered as to how they could spread a small field of asteroids and keep it within the confines of the staged area. He got an idea and then set up the holowindow with the Miharu and Nozomi models. "We could use our combined field to hold the smaller rocks in around us. Our assault force would hide on an asteroid nearby until it is time to attack. The Miharu could use her tractor beams on the two rocks and guide them into the Nozomi's Mindy bays. The first one would plug the bay before and the second one which would have the assault team on it."

Nyton looked over to Masako to see what she thought of the idea.

Yukari was relieved she had nothing in her mouth. Had she, choking would have commenced at Hinoto's last plainly stated utterance.

That the CIES and MEGAMI units were so perceptive ... "Oh, r-r-really?" she replied. She had not thought about how many weapons she carried -- two was not so many, she thought.

"Well ... I am glad Hoshi-san is so observant. Though she does not need to worry about the last one!" The nervous laughter that followed hopefully covered her flushed face and embarassed tears at the corners of her eyes. "After all, my, ah, preferred methods of relaxation, are not important to the crew."

"Indeed, they probably aren't at the moment," Kotori added from her station behind Yukari. She had been there all along working in her miniature sea of holowindows, working quietly.

Hinoto stood up and looked back at the Taii, whom was - in turn - staring back down at the two of them. "Ah?"

Kotori shrugged. "I admit the breast massaging being her preferred form of relaxation is news to me."

Yukari's entire body turned to ice. Her head creaked and cracked forward in defeat -- she had truly embarassed herself again.

" ... My apologies, Ketsurui-Taii," she said quietly, then focused on her work again, glancing a little at Hinoto, as if to say, "Sorry."

"If you have so much trouble focusing on work, perhaps you both should take a break while everyone else is working." Kotori said sternly before looking over to Hinoto. "Hinoto, escort the Chui to the public baths; you will attend her. Once Suzuka-Chui is properly refreshed, you may return her to the bridge."

Yukari did not even look at Hinoto or Kotori. She stood from her chair after touching the calibration just a bit, sufficiently shamed with her gaze downcast and hands in front of her. She bowed to Kotori and then walked out with Hinoto.

Outside the bridge, she kept her mouth closed. Kotori could still have been listening, after all. Tom should be taking this bath, she thought forlornly.

Kotori chuckled quietly once Yukari was out and brought the monitoring functions of Yukari's station to her own so she could take over for the time Yukari would be gone.

She sent Hinoto a brief telepathic message with instructions and then focused on her work.

ON: YSS Miharu

Hinoto tentatively caught Yukari's hand in her own. "I'm sorry."

Yukari looked up and smiled a little. "It is not your fault, Hinoto-san. We were too loud, and the Taii is under much pressure. I should have continued working."

"It'll be a quick bath and then you'll be back to help her." Hinoto smiled. "I'll wash you; we will be done quickly."

"Ah, iiya, it is all right -- I do not need to wash. We can give the Taii time to relax alone. Perhaps we should help the others?" Yukari did not want to bathe while others worked.

"That won't be possible. I am under direct order to escort you to the public baths and then to attend to you." Hinoto had the grace to look contrite. "I would think it would cause less of a fuss if you would cooperate. Otherwise, it would be like disobeying orders, and that would be mutiny of a sort, and the Star Army regulations clearly state that mutiny and desertion are to be harshly dealt with - even on pain of death!"

Obviously, the barely-one-day-old Hinoto was getting a little carried away.

Yukari managed a pained smile. "I see," she said. "Let us go then." Unsure of whether she should walk first or not, Yukari took a hesitant step forward.

Hinoto and Yukari made their way up to the main deck. It was a bit awkward. "Shouldn't you be holding both hands up where I can see them? Should I guide you at gunpoint?" The sprite asked hesitantly.

"Ah, no," Yukari said, coming to the main corridor. "Escort sometimes means following a person to a destination without weapons. But ... my hands are empty." Yukari showed them to prove her point.

As Yukari made her way to the wardroom, she reminded herself that she had to take a right at the end. She did, Hinoto following close behind, a neutral-enough look on her face as the pair crossed into the changing room. Yukari blinked once inside -- she had not expected tatami mats ...

As soon as both were through the door, Hinoto quickly skipped around and took it upon herself to take down the zipper of Yukari's uniform and start to peel the clothes off her. "Ah, you're a neko too," she noted as she got a good look at Yukari's backbone; there wasn't any obvious darker streaking, but the skin was still slightly off-color there.

"Ahhh! Yes, I am!" Yukari was a little surprised as her zipper was undone. She clutched at her front. "I can do the rest, Hinoto-san! ... "

Hinoto undid the fastening on the bra. "But the Taii ordered me to assist you..."

Yukari managed a frantic smile on her face. "The Taii did not give you specific instructions on how to help me, though! Ah, perhaps, you could, anou ... prepare the wash water?"

Hinoto hugged herself against Yukari, pressing herself enough in the Chui's back for the other to feel the smooth surface of her panel against her skin as the sprite's hands rested on Yukari's belly. "You don't want me to take care of you?"

"Ah ... ah ... " Yukari cheeks were red. Her shame was wearing away into uncertainty. "It is alright, Hinoto-san ... I thank you for the offer."

Hinoto released her hold of Yukari and continued undressing her with the sort of care one afforded to a princess. Away went the gunbelt, the hidden pistol and the boots.

Yukari did not watch Hinoto, too shy to attempt it. She slowly removed her belt first, but then the rest came off quickly. The skin of her feet reacted immediately to the rough tatami as she put her things in a small locker. She smiled a little; it had been too long since she had felt anything "real."

Hinoto didn't seem to be intently looking at Yukari once she was in the nude. Instead, she deposited the folded cloth pile inside a locker and then went for the stack of towels and brought one back for Yukari to wear. "Please go on ahead. I will join you shortly."

"Ah, hai." Yukari maintained a proper level of sight as she took a towel and wrapped it around herself. She then went into the public bath.

Before her ... her breath escaped her. The sun, clear and blazing orange and yellow amid scattered clouds. It was bright, even behind the mist of the bath. Just along the edges, grainy blackness, a touch of it -- sand. It was the beach of Ash Bay. She was sure of it; no other planet she had studied had such sand. The mural was huge, spanning the entire wall, colors warm and inviting. They begged her to bask in a glow that was somewhat there, lights shining off the wall to give it a look. She could only stare at it, mouth agape.

It was home. For the briefest of moments she forgot about the cold, hard tile surrounding her and simply thought of home. She did not notice the tear, running down her right cheek.

PAUSE

Moments passed, Yukari was unsure exactly how long... and then, Hinoto was besides her, unclothed save for a towel wrapped around her slim torso and a basket held loosely in her left hand. "The Taii didn't really want to punish you. She just wanted an excuse to have you see the mural. She's the one whom requested that scenery instead of the courtyard around the Empress' Palace."

" ... Why?" Yukari said weakly in Japanese. "Why ... ? Did it mean ... so much?" She couldn't move. She could not think. The sun enveloped her vision, her brain, the entire experience of the Miharu.

"Kotori-san ... is an idiot," she said, whimpering a little. Her lower lip quivered. "Idiot. That is what she is." She dabbed her eyes.

Hinoto stared at Yukari, blinking in confusion. The Taii had given her a message to relay and she had, but it didn't mean she understood the context. She patiently waited for Yukari to regain her composure.

The Chui sniffed, wiped her eyes again, and looked down. "So sorry," she said. "I ... like the sun. This view, it is from my c-cabin ... sorry."

Yukari held her sides, and looked to Hinoto. "Shall we, ah, wash?"

Hinoto smiled warmly at the other and led her by the hand to a stall which would still allow a good view of the mural. She briefly left to grab a stool and set it down for Yukari to sit on.

"You can sit and look at the image. I will take care of the rest," the sprite said, pulling things out of the basket.

Masako looked over Nyton's idea appraisingly. It seemed like a very good idea and would probably increase the chances of success and survivability greatly. "That sounds like an excellent plan Claymere-Juni," the raven-eyed neko replied as she narrowed her eyes in thought. You know...I do believe I've missed the sprites in my plans. I guess I'm unused to thinking about using them in combat operations, she thought before going over her plan again in her mind.

"The plan itself seems good, but we also have to think of the loadouts for out team and lone Mindy," Masako replied. "Team One should comprise of one Mindy and Daisies with Claymere-Juni, Westwood-Hei, Ichigo-kun, Nimura-kun, and the two mission specialists," she began with a frown. She had yet to meet the two new crewmembers face to face and was a little hesitant in sending them out, but Mara and Nyton were right about one thing. They did need all the personnel they could get. It was time to stop being stingy. Taking a small breath, Masako looked over at Mara. "The Miharu's defense and repair team will comprise of Amagasaki-Hei, Dige-Hei, Freeman-Heisho, Yukisato-san, Nishimura-Hei, and Sigurd. Hinoto-kun will assist Ketsurui-Taii and Suzaku-Chui with ship operations," the young neko went on. Though Hinoto was a sprite, she was also the newest of the sprites as well and Masako was not bringing a sprite that was less than a day old on such a mission.

"Mara-san, I've thought about the lone Mindy strategy," she began. "And I believe I've been being a bit to....'stingy'," the raven-haired neko explained, scratching the tip of her left ear. "Because of that, the lone Mindy will become a Mindy Duo comprise of myself and you, if you feel like you're up for it?"

For once, Yukari did not protest. She sat down on the stool, legs in front of her, and just looked at the mural. Memories washed and receded over her brain as she took her towel off of her and set it aside.

"It is a wonderful cabin," Yukari said, sounding hundreds of miles away. "I will take everyone of us there, when we are done. It is small, but room can be made."

Asher stood erect rubbing his spike goatee, nodding approvedly of the plan set forth and taking in all the information. He was ready to prove is useful/worthyness to the Miharu, since so far the Power Armor prowess he had shown was loading torpedoes. Though to do this effectively he kept his words to himself, so not interupt the train of thought currently going on and to try to remember what was being said. The broad Yamataian would also have to try and keep a mental note of studying the specs of the Daisy before taking off.

Hinoto settled down behind Yukari and began lathering soap over a washcloth. She used the small showerhead to soak the brown-haired woman and then began to gently scrub Yukari's back.

"I don't understand what you said before - why did it mean so much to her?" the sprite asked.

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"I have no problem with it," Mara replied. "On the other hand, I'm not sure if this whole asteroid tactic is really going to work in the time allotment our crew will have. Not to mention I don't think we've put enough attention on the specialists whom would go for the MEGAMI and take her out of commission. How are we supposed to work with that exactly?"

While walking across the ship, Takuma couldn't help but awe at his surroundings. He seemed to enjoy being up in space rather then stuck on ground. Resisting the urge to go sight-seeing, he finished the last stretch to the armor bay. Ito-Hei arrived just after he got there.

Looking in, he say a group of officers discussing a plan of attack. Waiting for a significant pause in the conversation, he walked over to them and glanced around their pins and bowed to the highest ranked officer. "Takuma Kimura, Joto Hei, reporting for duty."

Carried along on the wake of her superior, Rei followed suit in the proper military protocol of greeting. "Ito Rei, Santo Hei, reporting as well, sir."

Her sense of wonderment, however, hadn't been captured by space. Space was, as far as she was concerned, boring. No. It was that she was back in a proper armor bay, where she had trained to work on power armors, that excited her. Still, propriety reigned and she kept her excitement on a leash. No good embarrassing oneself in front of ones superiors, after all.